Entries tagged with:
kitchen

New from Aurelien Barbry for Normann Copenhagen ~ beautiful cork wine stoppers and wine pourers! Both designs are sculptural ~ there are 4 stopper designs, and most intriguing is the pourer, which hides the metal spout within the cork! see close ups of them all on the next page!

Alessi released their new Fall-Winter 2010 product collection. Our favorites in the collection are “Tea Matter” tea strainer and tea caddy by Alan Chan and “Scoiattolo” nutcracker by Andrea Branzi. Lately, been working a lot staring out the kitchen window ~ laptop open, with a background of dozens of birds happily chirping away and squirrels racing in and out of the yard barking at each other… so when the new Alessi press kit came across the table, perhaps its not so surprising that the birds and squirrels ended up being the designs that grabbed me first! Take a peek at close ups of both on the next page!

Today’s obsession? Absolut Art of Sharing Pitchers ~ after running across them on The World’s Best Ever i’ve been googling and ebaying and finding out whatever i can about them… but no one seems to know if they available in the US? What is it made of? This new summery art collaboration with Stephen J Powers and Chiho Aoshima results in 4 summery pitchers. I assume they are just plastic? Perhaps silk screened on? Have any of you seen them in person? Felt the quality of them? Art Collectors says - “From what we can tell, they’ve been released in various sizes for different markets (1Liter in US, 700ml in Europe/New Zealand, 750ml in Mexico)” and “So far, only 3/4 designs have been released in the 1L and 750ml sizes, so your best bet is to go for the 700ml set, which so far have hit a limited number of specialty stores in the UK, France, Belgium, and Greece.” See more pics and the video on the next page!

p.s.
“The Art of Sharing” makes me think of being a little kid… and learning about how important it is to share!

p.p.s.
Updated ~ just found an exclusive french design by Dan Tobin Smith - pictures added on next page.

“Flying Green’ collection by Italian Studio Klass consists on a set of ceramic vases for fresh spices. Each vase has a unique shape inspired by the different kinds of roots and botanical of spices. Their metallic hooks make it possible to hang them on walls with a kitchen’s steel bar. Designed in collaboration with Laboratorio Pesaro. These are so beautiful, i was smitten with the concept and photography when i first spotted them on Design Milk! Take a peek at far more close up pics and various colors on the next page!

SO! Did the Virgin America redeye LAX-JFK ~ and even went for a window seat in hopes of photographing sunrise on the way in… sadly we got in SO EARLY, the sun hadn’t risen yet. So no pics of that… but on silly design details i couldn’t pass up… when they brought me the fruit and cheese plate - it had this adorable airplane salt and pepper shaker i had to share with you! It’s like the toy in the cereal box… only instead of cereal, it was with the fruit and cheese… Anyhow! It’s cute, check out more pics on the next page…

Fusion Brands’ FoodPod ~ i ran into it at A+R and it was so odd, i couldn’t stop poking at it. Then i had to buy it. It’s another silicon creation from Fusion Brands to help in the kitchen… they are certainly creative with their ability to solve problems i didn’t even realize i had. Like keeping my veggies/eggs separate from other things, or together in the pot for easy removal… here you can fill the FoodPod with just about anything… and then you can dunk it into your boiling pot of water, and even hook the angler fish looking top to the lip of the pot for easy retrieval! lift and autostrain ~ unhook the cap, and your food is ready! See more pics of it on the next page!

Black and White. Angel and Devil. Fun illustrations. Hilarious how to on the back, showing how this egg topper (with the three little blades inside) can even double as a napkin ring (won’t it slice up your napkin possibly? if used right?)… and brain sperm logo. And it’s both the egg decapitator AND the holder. Genius. So of course you understand that i couldn’t resist this adorable german pair of Brain Stream Cregg & Cregg while in Stockholm… and i only just got around to testing them out ~ pictures of the experience and details on the next page!

Bodum. There's something so irresistible about the way they do glass... and now there is even double walled porcelain! And a clear glass stovetop kettle! And planters! And baguette tubes? The 2009 catalog is beautifully laid out too, with cheeky typographic bits... Take a peek at some of my favorite pages on the next page... and view the catalog here.

Excited to get a first look at Arta's gorgeous and playful set of bar tools that magically nest (tools into rack into ice bucket that sits on the cutting board) as well as a shaker with a built in jigger/strainer. Beautifully unique designs, and really fun packaging, first reaction was definitely - awesome house warming gift idea! (The tools in ice bucket particularly!) I love the packaging! Those silhouettes really grab you! Its such a fun portable set of - muddler, tongs, stirring spoon, bottle opener, knife, citrus reamer, citrus zester, drip-free ice bucket, and integrated cutting board. And since i played with it before lunch today, we actually used it while playing around with some lemons from the tree out back and made some lemonade. While the shaker is fun, and the integrated jigger and strainer are an unusual design, it is a bit impractical... its hard to get the top off, and unless you're pouring it when pretty level, using that for measurement while chatting with friends gets tricky! I think it's complicated instead of simplifying the drink making process? But the tool set is a fun one to have around the house, especially for a quick set you can bring outside with you for cocktails while bbq-ing! Take a peek at the details on the next page!

I've been obsessing about vertical gardens lately ~ and while most get complex drip systems, bricks of earth magically suspended, and pretty thick installations... i lit up when i stepped into the Valcucine showroom for the Surface Magazine and saw this brilliant idea of a metal grid with little pots hanging from them filled with everything from herbs to strawberries!!! And it looks pretty awesome? Also between all the luxurious sustainable kitchen and furniture ~ they debuted and let us sample the delights of Valcucine's Riciclanta sustainable slow food kitchen... really delicious asparagus soup shots and soup spoons of salad bites... the chefs on hand were incredibly sweet and friendly too! Also really cool to see the little wet pots in person! I think i'm finding it much cuter than the eva solo one i just bought as far as use of space, and the same concept pretty much. See pics of it all on the next page!

Have you ever found yourself mesmerized by a curvature? A silhouette? Just stuck in your mind, and you could stare at it for ages? And it doesn't help that as you stare at it you can't help but sip it as well? Well there's something so beautiful about the Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and La Grande Dame champagne glasses that i've been obsessing about since that trip to paris with them last year... It actually had me paying much closer to attention to both champagne and champagne glasses, since. You'll see what i mean in the many pictures on the next page... there's a comparison of some of the various champagne glasses rounded up from holiday gift boxes...

... also further indulging my curiosity about the origins of Champagne Glasses, the Veuve Clicquot historian was kind enough to put together some information on their background as well as some gorgeous visuals - from vintage Veuve ads ~ to scans from their library to take a look at what types of champagne glass styles exist and how they have evolved over the years.

This beautiful Kuhn Rikon Mortar & Pestle showed up amidst the kitchen construction ~ and it is STUNNING! Also, swiss made, designed by Swiss Designer/Chef Philipp Beyeler, multipurpose and made of porcelain and bamboo! Not only does the porcelain bowl (for grinding) fit beautifully into the bamboo base (for crushing nuts and harder foods) ~ but i'm just such a sucker for porcelain/woody-bamboo combinations! And on brilliant details... the tear drop shaped hole in the handle isn't merely for aesthetic purposes, it also doubles as a tool for "defoliating stems".

My kitchen is DONE!!! So, a few weeks ago you saw the unboxing of the Kohler Karbon Faucet and Smart Divide Sink ~ well many an early morning, some banging, bashing, painting and more later... the 30s kitchen has had all its tiles ripped out, plumbing cleaned up, granite counters installed, and sink and faucet have been Kohler-ized... and i LOVE it.

Really it's one thing to play with the Karbon at trade shows, but to have been actually using it ~ doing dishes, filling pots, spraying people, etc... it's awesome! (i highly recommend playing with one!) ~ And the Smart Divide sink having a lower divider means far less splashage as i'm cleaning and moving things between the different sides...

As for how decisions were made... Yes. I became that girl in the ads who basically walked around with a faucet and designed counter around it... So see the advert, and the whole process from start to finish on the next page!

On NOTCOT firsts ~ i have never really remodeled a house, taken apart a kitchen, installed a faucet, carried a sink... so for those who have, don't mind my silly excitement at some of the more mundane aspects. Also, i've been far too distracted playing with the sculptural Kohler Karbon Faucet, i mean sure, i've poked at it at design fairs, but the booth folks sure give you funny looks if you stand there reshaping it too much. Would it be weird to have this designer faucet as my desk/fidget toy? Its so beautiful! And mesmerizing to play with? Also since earlier Kohler ads ran on NOTCOT a few months ago ~ i've been wanting to try those Smart Divide sinks with the shorter dividers ~ cookie trays sticking out of the sink - no more!

I've never unboxed a sink or a kitchen faucet... ever! So naturally you get to check it out with me! Consider this the first in my latest hands on offline project ~ more updates to come soon ~ but for now, feel free to take a peek at how fun the products are in real life on the next page!

Chikuno Cubes ~ gorgeous, tiny (see next page for a pic of it in the fridge!), and apparently it sucks up odors! With its fascinatingly delicate structure ~ these ultra fine bamboo powder/charcoal cubes absorb moisture, odor, gas, ethylene, ammonia, formaldehyde, and more... apparently its made from water soluable powder so you're supposed to keep it away from water. Every month it says to place it in direct sunlight for 6 hours to release all that it has trapped ~ does it work? I'm not sure yet, it just arrived yesterday! BUT, it is pretty cool looking, and had some adorable very japanese, gift boxed packaging. (Got mine at Delight!)

So, after posting the Slice Precision Cutter, we couldn't resist finding out more, and Slice was nice enough to send a few over to play with when Alyssa reached out to them! So what is it like up close? And how does it compare to our trusty Xactos? Well, xacto has nothing to worry about, but the Slice Precision Cutter is still pretty awesome for certain uses!

The thing corners amazingly! Can get some really great curves out of it ~ where it will never take over my xacto (this one is my favorite still, but unfortunately i haven't found it yet while unpacking the office - work in progress! so up there is another bigger one i've been using on boxes and stuff) ~ the blade is only good to cut through a few pieces of paper ~ so for scrapbooking, vinyl cutting, etc its perfect, but not so much for heftier projects. Physically, it feels great in your hand, nicely weighted ~ super sleek with its matte green coating, and nice cap on it. You an definitely cut with it as if you're painting a brushstroke or scribbling with a pen which is really fun. So all in all, for 7$ its definitely worth adding to your arsenal. Check out more close ups on the next page... and pics of the Y-Peeler they sent over too!

I've become a Thanksgiving shopaholic today... i can't seem to stop shopping now that the emails and ims have subsided as everyone else is off feasting (we turducken/champagne'd in a very low key lunch feast this year)... i'm even addictively shopping off the holiday coupons!

Anyhow, amongst all the shopping, ended up at Black + Blum ~ early friends of NOTCOT ~ and totally smitten by some of their latest designs... Desk Tidy? A fun porcelain mix of merged cups that i'm totally wanting (also perfect for gifting!) ~ And how i wish i had the ski pole inspired Spudskis! Really you need at least two, right? and a big bowl, or hill of potatoes to mash and ski through? And most gorgeous of all ~ back in April they made a gorgeous glass polar bear sculpture for WWF Faces in The Wild. Their design sold for $35,000, with Humanscale matching ~ so proceeds of $70,000 went to the World Wildlife Fund! It's made of profiles of glass for the polar bear on a frosted glass surface upon a blue mirror for the glassy sea... Anyhow, check them all out in more detail on the next page, and you can purchase at Black + Blum

Also found at Maison et Objet - designed by Camilla Kropp for Design House Stockholm, this set of Pipette Oil & Vinegar Bottles calls to the mad scientist in all of us... regardless of whether we're in the kitchen, in the lab, or simply in our heads. And who says these bottles can only be used for oil and vinegar, they work just as well for soy sauce, chili oil, sugar water........ in fact seeing these gets me thinking, you could even use these in your lab.... or your labware in your kitchen? But unlikely its as gorgeously designed as this! Really what it comes down to is that there is no longer an excuse for imprecision! (Although i'm not clear on whether there are actual measurement marks on the pipettes.) See a close up on the next page!

Merci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come...

On booths i always look forward to seeing, Normann Copenhagen was high on the list, they always have such beautiful displays ~ at ICFF they had more of a clean low black display... at Maison et Objet, they went for more of a rustic woody modern table look with their nice black walls and vibrant new pieces. Of the pieces launched, the one that grabbed me most in person was the Herb Stand designed by Jakob Heiberg, the quality feels incredible, and there's something so nice about the balance achieved even when empty... that splash of green with the scissors handles doubling as a little pair of sprouting leaves is adorable, and could probably just as easily find a place on your desk, as you kitchen counter. See more images ~ as well as booth images on the next page!

Merci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come...

SETCAST is a new gorgeous bone china collection from London architects, voonwong&bensonsaw. "The SETCAST collection is the result of a close collaboration between voonwong&bensonsaw and one of China's most distinguished manufacturers of bone china, Asianera, based in Tangshan, the porcelain capital of northern China. Together, the companies have developed a collection that makes the best use of bone china's excellent light-reflective properties and also moves away from traditional decorative tableware to focus on striking new typologies that make a bold statement."

NOTCOT Note: Here's the latest discovery from Anna (Sub-Studio) ~ these cheese/cutting boards would be SO perfect for fourth of july picnics and bbqs!

I saw Lotte van Laatum's work on Bloesem recently and fell in love with it. Lotte is a designer and recent graduate from the Design Academy Eindhoven. In her graduate program she specialized in the social-cultural and ecological aspects of design, an interest you can see permeate through her design collection. Much of her work references other cultures, and even employs craftsmen from those cultures, such as her Bloei! sofa, Tulipa vases (after the jump), and the Made in Peru cushions. Lotte's Dutch Wood project attempts to create awareness about the sustainable use of local resources by keying the shape of each cutting board back to the geographical region it was harvested from. The cutting boards come from the regions of Veluwe, Noordoostpolder and Salland, and are made of three different types of wood - beech, ash and maple.

My favorite project is Carbon, a set of diamond-shaped salt and pepper shakers. My only gripe with the project is that they are made of injection molded plastic (I would love to see them in wood). Gregory's website showcases a bunch of different projects, many of which begin flat-packed and are assembled by the user. He includes lots of great photo-diagrams on how to assemble or use each piece.

NOTCOT Note: Morning! Here's one more before i head back to the cabin ~

At the Hardcore Exhibition in the Meatpacking District during ICFF that showcased New Finnish Design, i discovered VEGE by Design Mikko Laakkonen for Selki-Asema. These are frying pans and blini pans specially for vegetarians! And not only are they a nice way to help show your veg friends that you keep things separate ~ they even leave nice leafy patterns into your pancakes, etc. Cute idea. It's cast iron and the frying pan has a birch handle. See more images of the full rack of the from the exhibition on the next page!

Tast.es: Disposable Elements For Catering - firstly, awesome use of the .es domain - secondly, the Conran ROJO launch was incredible, and i have still yet to do a proper post on it, there was so much, it's all coming out in pieces... strangely enough i actually indulged in some of the various catering finger foods coming around simply so i could poke at the beautifully designed mini dishes they were served in! How cute is this soup bowl/shot glass? It looked so strange and possibly uncomfortable to sip from, but honestly its curvature was perfect to put your lips up to and have the soup slide right in (no embarrassing dribbles or anything of that sort). I even had the url on the bottom of it emailed to me as soon as i finished drinking it so i wouldn't forget to see what else they have... and low and behold, there is more awesome catering ware from Tast.es! So see larger images of the whole collection on the next page, and someday when we throw a party, i will definitely have to look these guys up.